Citizens Radio Patrol Program cuts crime in Detroit neighborhoods
What started in the 1960s as a grassroots effort to support Detroit police has evolved into one of the city's most impactful, yet lesser-known, crime-fighting tools. The Citizens Radio Patrol Program, and more specifically the Greenacres-Woodward Community Radio Patrol (GWCRP), proves that when residents step up, crime goes down.
In the Greenacres neighborhood, bordered by Eight Mile Road, Pembroke Avenue, Woodward Avenue, and Livernois Avenue, volunteers have been patrolling the streets since 1986. Their mission is to be the police's eyes and ears.
"No matter what city or state you're in, wherever there's an active radio patrol, crime is reduced by a minimum of 70%," said James A. Ward Jr., president of GWCRP.
Ward, who goes by Jim, has seen the impact firsthand.
"We had drug houses in this community, we had two wannabe gangs, we had prostitution going on, none of that exists today," he said. "We're not vigilantes, we're not deputies, [but when] folks know that you're watching, they go somewhere else."
It's a strategy that's worked. Within a year of launching the patrol in the late '80s, burglaries in the neighborhood dropped dramatically.
These volunteers aren't armed or confrontational. Instead, they rely on visibility and presence. Ward refers to them as "noisy neighbors," the kind that make would-be criminals think twice.
The program, which once had more than 40 active patrols citywide, has seen a sharp decline since the pandemic. Today, only 18 remain. But Ward is confident that if every neighborhood had one, the city would feel the difference.
"Crime will be reduced, but it doesn't happen overnight," he said.
For Ward, the reward isn't just safer streets, it's a stronger sense of community.
"People speak to each other. People smile," he said. "That's a good feeling. That's what makes me Detroit proud."
The Citizens Radio Patrol Program of Detroit is always looking for volunteers. For more information on how to get involved, .
